Good morning, Speaker. Dozens of business owners from Minden are here at Queen’s Park today to continue to push this government to keep their emergency room open. Under this government’s leadership it’s set to close the day after tomorrow. It’s closing at a time when the seasonal population in the area soars with kids’ summer camps, cottagers and, of course, tourists. It means thousands of Ontarians will have to travel farther and farther away just to access emergency services. This creates a domino effect on the ERs in those communities, putting even more strain on an already strained system.

Speaker, will the Premier tell the business owners here today that he will keep their emergency room open?

It’s about responsibility. This government has been in office for five long years and they continue to skip out on their responsibilities to the people of this province.

Today, the Conservatives are turning their backs on Minden families, on cottagers, on kids in summer camps. They’re turning their backs on local business owners, some of whom closed up shop today just to be here. The Conservatives are choosing to help private health care companies, some of which are run by this Conservative Party’s donors, instead of local job creators who are here today.

Speaker, will the Premier take some responsibility and start putting the needs of Ontarians ahead of his profiteering insiders?

Interjections.

Cities like Kingston, Kitchener, Owen Sound, Windsor, Cornwall—it isn’t just rural areas that are suffering, either. They’re all facing alarming shortages of family physicians. This isn’t normal, Speaker, and it shouldn’t be normal. Shamefully, this government’s misguided actions are only going to make it worse, as doctors leave the public system to work at private for-profit clinics.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will he invest in the public system and get Ontarians the care they deserve instead of selling off their health to the highest bidder?

Interjections.

Yesterday, when I asked the minister why she ignored all those warnings, she blamed everybody else. How can the public expect things to get better when the minister refuses to take responsibility for the Eglinton Crosstown P3 fiasco?

Why is the minister still defending these costly and risky private contracts instead of restoring public delivery of transit infrastructure?

I can only imagine how challenging this decision was for the Haliburton Highlands Health Services leadership and board. But I want to reassure the people of Minden and that community that I am confident that this decision was not taken lightly.

Having said that, I want to highlight, through my supplementary, the many different programs that are available to community hospitals across Ontario as we work with them as partners to make sure that we have programs and incentives available to many accessing programs, including directing the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and the College of Nurses of Ontario to quickly expedite those internationally educated graduates who want to train and work in the province of Ontario. I will share further examples in my supplementary.

But I want to talk about the programs that are available to the 140 hospitals corps that have been using them. Listen, if Haliburton Highlands decides to look and explore some of these programs, we are obviously going to work with them, as we have with every other hospital.

Last year, through our efforts and the efforts of Ontario Health, we were able to avert nearly 1,500 emergency room shift closures that were prevented because of the work that we have been doing with Ontario Health, with our health care partners and in the ministry. So when we talk about the 911 models of care, where paramedics can take individuals to facilities other than an emergency department—it could be a long-term-care facility; it could be a palliative care facility—dedicated officers—

The Premier often says that we will have the backs of our stakeholders, of our partners. We are doing that in the Ministry of Health, and we will continue to do that. As I said, if Haliburton Highlands decides or wishes to explore any of these programs, we are happy to be a willing partner, as we have with so many hospitals across Ontario.

Thank you, Speaker. I am seeking the unanimous consent of the House that, notwithstanding standing order 100(a)(iv), five minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to speak on second reading of private member’s Bill 5.

Thank you. The final supplementary.

The Minister of Transportation.

Restart the clock. The supplementary?

I cannot believe that the Leader of the Opposition just stood there, with pride, saying that she will vote again and again after transit expansion is presented to this House. Toronto city council endorsed our plan by a vote of 22 to three. They knew that our plan was the right one for the city of Toronto. York regional council voted for our plan overwhelmingly because they knew it was the right one for York region. But the Leader of the Opposition? She knows better. She will make sure that she and her caucus consistently vote against the plans we bring forward.

In terms of progress, we are more than halfway through to tunnelling on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and halfway through tunnelling on Scarborough. We’ve got shovels in the ground on the Ontario Line and we’ve announced the RFQ for the Yonge North subway extension. Our government, under the leadership of our Premier, has made more progress on transit building and transit expansion in this province than ever before.

Thank you to my colleague for that great question. Yesterday, alongside the Minister of Energy and our PAs, I was pleased to announce our government’s critical investment to support the expansion of the McMaster nuclear reactor, the largest research reactor in Canada.

Speaker, through an investment of $6.8 million, we are helping McMaster University scale up their nuclear reactor’s operations to 24 hours a day, five days a week, to increase the quantity and number of isotopes the reactor produces. What does that mean for Ontario? It means more opportunities for expanded research and development in strategic areas like advanced materials, medical isotopes, clean energy and small modular reactors. And it means countless quality jobs that will support the economy in southern Ontario, all while positioning our province as a leader in the global nuclear medicine market and our researchers’ reputations across the globe.

Speaker, unlike the Liberals who oversaw the fruits of millions of dollars of taxpayer-funded research sold off to the highest foreign bidder, our government will continue to foster Ontario-based research and development.

Canadian clinicians rely on access to nearly two dozen different medical isotopes to treat many different types of medical conditions, including heart disease and cancer. That’s why this work will have such a wide-ranging impact. It’s hard not to have been touched in some way by these conditions.

The medical benefits we hope to see will be unparalleled. The reactor will increase medical isotope production by three times what it is now, ensuring that Ontarians will have earlier access to advanced cancer therapies.

More importantly, Speaker, it will save lives, and it will take us one step closer to improving health outcomes of those impacted by a cancer diagnosis. It is the strong research that Ontario’s post-secondary institutions are conducting that is helping advance—

It’s a very interesting question coming from the member opposite. Again, what we’re seeing from the NDP is that they want to contract out their work, of course, to CUPE, and we’re not going to do that.

It’s interesting, we had the opportunity to debate this bill last night, colleagues. I know that my entire caucus was here debating that bill, but ironically, as soon as the legislative dining room closed last night, the NDP called it a night, closed the place down, put no more speakers up, fast-tracked it and we’re voting on it today. You know why? Because it’s the right thing. We’re going to start to remove those obstacles that are getting in the way of building homes. And just like the Leader of the Opposition said, they don’t want to build; it’s no, no, no. Try voting yes, yes, yes and get shovels in the ground for new housing, new transit and transportation—

Interjections.

To be clear, Speaker, we will continue to vote against their terrible legislation and their terrible plans because it is bad for Ontario. It is bad for Ontario.

It is ironic that the Liberal obsession with transit privatization has been embraced and, in fact, expanded by the Conservative government. Metrolinx is now overrun with private consultants. They are embedded as vice-presidents. They’re managing the Eglinton Crosstown. There are even private consultants managing other private consultants. The problem with outsourcing everything to private consultants is that, over time, the government loses the ability to do things like build transit. This minister can’t even manage her own consultants.

While the minister jets off to Paris, people here in Ontario are stuck waiting for transit that will not arrive. Why hasn’t the minister been able to deliver the transit that people need?

Interjections.

My question is for the Minister of Colleges and Universities. Research at Ontario’s post-secondary institutions is critical in strengthening the innovation sector and supporting our economy. However, when it comes to innovation, Ontario lags behind other jurisdictions. Unfortunately, this puts our province at a disadvantage in maintaining a competitive edge. Investments in Ontario’s post-secondary institutions are urgently needed in order to elevate our status as a global leader in research and innovation.

Can the minister please explain how our government is supporting research and innovation so that Ontario can compete and thrive in a global economy?

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, over 230,000 Canadians were diagnosed with cancer just last year. For this reason, it is all the more critical that our government continues to make investments that will support and improve Ontario’s health care system. Can the minister please elaborate on how this investment by our government will impact the health and wellness of people across the province of Ontario?

I do want to thank the member opposite for the question.

Look, the region of Peel includes some of the largest and fastest-growing communities in Canada, and they’re poised for massive and significant growth over this next decade. In the region of Peel, as a second layer of government, municipalities and everyone that wants to build housing have had to have that red tape, that bureaucracy when it comes to getting housing built. As we know, we desperately need to get a million and a half homes built by 2031, and by the dissolution of the region of Peel, this is one great way for us to be able to do that.

Now if the legislation passes, as you know, we are intending to appoint a transition board for the region of Peel and their advice to the province is going to be on a range of restructuring matters, including service delivery, allocation of assets and liabilities, labour relations, long-term financial sustainability, among many others. I ask all members of this House to vote yes.

Thanks to the member from Peterborough–Kawartha—a.k.a. God’s country, a.k.a. “Go Petes”—for the question.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, our government is committed to taking meaningful action to support our commitments to support the forest sector, its workers and the communities that depend on it. No government in the history of this province has done more to attract investment, drive innovation and create good jobs.

It doesn’t stop, Mr. Speaker. That’s why the Ontario government is creating the new forest biomass program. This program will provide an investment of $19.6 million in funding to projects that will expand wood harvest from crown forest. Biomass includes mill by-products from manufacturing, bark, shavings, sawdust as well as trees and above-ground tree parts that aren’t suited to the production of other forest products.

One of these regions that will benefit in northwest Ontario is the beautiful region of Atikokan. I was pleased to make that announcement—

Early this summer, the program will be open to applications for businesses, municipalities, Indigenous communities and not-for-profit organizations located in Ontario that have a project to expand the use of forest biomass and enhance the forest biomass supply chain. Speaker, Ontario’s forestry sector is primed for growth, good jobs and innovation. We’re building a forestry sector unlike anything this province has ever seen.

Thank you.

The next question.

Start the clock.

The Minister of Education.

Again to the Premier: This government has closed the West Island of Ontario Place to the public even before a building permit has been issued.

Like everything else about the government’s plans to give 650 million taxpayer dollars to a private, for-profit luxury spa that’s on public parkland, the timeline of this entire project is suspect. In September 2018, Therme hired Conservative lobbyists. Two months later, the government announced their plan to redevelop Ontario Place. In May 2019, the government requested proposals to redevelop Ontario Place. Simultaneously, they changed regulations to exempt projects like Therme’s from an environment assessment.

As the timeline suggests, did Therme have an inside track before the government even considered privatizing Ontario Place?

Yesterday at the York Catholic District School Board, they voted 6 to 4 to not fly the rainbow flag. This was based on a recommendation that came directly from their committee—the gender, sexuality and Catholic education committee. That committee recommended that they do fly the flag, saying that it would be consistent with the pastoral mission of the Catholic church.

We know that suicide is the leading cause of death for young people, and that number is multiplied many times for the 2SLGBT community. We’ve seen the anti-2SLGBT hate statistics rise in Ontario by 64%, and yet this government remains silent. We need to know: When will the minister say something, make a statement, and what will you intend to do to keep students safe?

Mr. Speaker, we have been clear and consistent since this issue first arose. Our message to children in our schools, particularly from LGBTQ+, is that we see them, we value them and we are proud as a government to stand with them, now more than ever.

Mr. Speaker, we have been consistent on this issue, making clear our position that Pride is something that we can rally behind as a Parliament, that every child in a publicly funded school should be supported, should feel affirmed and should feel safe—I do agree. That’s been our position in the province since the issue arose, and we will continue to make that case. Mr. Speaker, we’re going to continue as a government to actively participate in Pride and what it represents: universal love for every child in the province.

Mr. Speaker, only the NDP would be offended by a measure that’s intended to keep people safe. That fence was installed to protect emergency vehicles. Our government has been very clear that we have awarded a contract for the site servicing work. It is anticipated to start in the next very short while, and so it is our obligation to protect the pedestrians who do go to Ontario Place.

But, Mr. Speaker, we are bringing it back to life. Ontario Place will become a place where it’s not just 50 people who enjoy the site, but four million to six million people on an annual basis, 365 days of the year.

But that being said, Mr. Speaker, we have three wonderful tenants that are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the site back to life so that four million to six million people come there to enjoy it with their families. Some 2,500 permanent jobs will be created, and with greater coordination with Exhibition Place and the city of Toronto, this will be a hot spot for people to go.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that the members opposite are literally raising this issue today.

Interjections.

My question is to the Premier. Yesterday, the many Torontonians who walk, run, cycle and enjoy Ontario Place every day were stopped in their tracks. Between West Island and Trillium Park, a fence blocking public access has been erected suddenly and with no notice. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In February, marina tenants were forced out with no notice.

Speaker, the Conservative government keeps acting like Ontario Place is a done deal, but the redevelopment plans haven’t been approved. The government doesn’t even have a permit yet.

Why is this Conservative government blocking people’s access to the waterfront, a public space?

Yesterday, I had a question for Minister Smith; today I have a question for another Minister Smith. Speaker, there’s almost as many Smiths as there are Liberals here.

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. The forest sector is critical to Ontario’s economic strength and to the communities it supports throughout the province. This sector alone provides more than 149,000 jobs and helps to generate billions in revenue for our province.

Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government all but ignored the valuable contribution of the forest sector, much to the detriment of rural, remote and northern Ontario communities. That’s why our government must act now to create the conditions where forest businesses in the north can operate efficiently and be competitive in the global market.

Speaker, can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to strengthen the forest sector?

With an abundant supply of forest biomass products in Ontario, that’s why it’s so vital that we support this emerging industry and its innovators. With so many possibilities, it’s essential that our government explore all options to create opportunities to address the untapped economic growth in northern communities.

Speaker, can the minister please expand on how the forest biomass program will drive innovation in the forest industry?

Mr. Speaker, we’ve been clear and consistent in our expectations and our hope. We believe the Pride flag is something we can rally behind. It represents a welcome inclusive message for every child. We know that those kids face disproportionate impacts and challenges in schools, which is why the government, the Premier and our entire party will continue to be at Pride visibly, actively celebrating with the LGBTQ community. We will continue to stand with those kids. We will continue to encourage school boards to do their part to make sure every child in Ontario feels safe, affirmed and respected.